In the stillness of the night, in King Cheoljong's private bedchamber, a light breeze moved the silk curtains, making the shadows dance softly on the walls. He was standing in front of a large mirror, silently observing himself. The glow of the candles illuminated his face, but he couldn't help but notice the weight on his chest. He didn't like to think about it, but he did it over and over again: Jo Hwa-Jin. He didn't feel the same way about her anymore. The complicities that once bound them together had dissipated, like fog at dawn.

The queen, on the other hand, remained an enigma. She was at his side, yes, but somehow more distant than ever.

“Why...why do I have to be burdened with these decisions?” he said to himself, rubbing his forehead.

His reflection was looking back at him, but he felt like he was looking at a stranger. In the king's mind, doubts were beginning to form. He needed something else, someone who could fill the void that neither Jo Hwa-Jin nor Queen Kim So-Yong could fill, but he couldn't get rid of the current concubine either.

“How do I do it, how do I decide?” he thought as a slight bitter laugh escaped his lips, almost as if he was mocking his own weakness. At that moment, the truth hit him. He could no longer ignore the inevitable. It was not just a matter of finding companionship, but of regaining something he had lost along the way.

“Tomorrow...I'll look through the candidates,” he said quietly, with determination. “It's time for another concubine to take her place, even if I don't throw her out. But I'll have to see them in person, assess if they can really offer what I need.”

He turned to the window, watching the full moon in the sky.

"Maybe there's no solution...but I need to try."

The stillness of the night was his only company, and with it, he faced a decision he knew would change far more than his personal life.